


One For My Baby

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: Piano 'Verse [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Coffee Shop, M/M, Music, Small panic attacks, auditions, minor hurt/comfort, piano players, piano universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 17:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12611344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: Tim really wants Jason to be his new duet partner, but Jason's not so sure he can make it in the world of Classical music. Agreeing to audition means new stress in Jason's life and he's not sure he's quite ready to face the old ghosts of his past.





	One For My Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Super excited to continue with the Piano Verse! I know I left off with a bit of a cliffhanger after the last fic, but here's the continuation. It'll give everyone a few more answers and I hope you like the new music in the new installment! I definitely had a lot of fun putting this together. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim hurried around the corner towards Treble Espresso. He’d been counting the minutes until his classes let out and it wasn’t just because it was a Friday. Ever since he’d talked to Mr. Stewart that afternoon about the new auditions for the duet, he couldn’t wait to see Jason again. All of his earlier uncertainty had seemingly disappeared and he was filled with an excitement that was familiar to how he felt when he got to perform with Jason during their Dueling Piano nights.

He slowed himself just enough so he didn’t burst through the doors of the coffee shop, but it was a close thing. He didn’t need all of the customers looking up at him in surprise and confusion wondering where the fire was or what was coming.

He worked to calm his breathing and scanned the crowd for any sign of where Jason might be.

“Tim,” Roy said from behind the counter, catching his attention. He nodded pointedly in the direction of the piano and Tim turned to find him already sitting there, coming to the end of some slow Jazz piece. He almost seamlessly transitioned into the next song, only giving a short pause as he gathered himself to play the beginning.

His hands moved [slowly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWgr2rxCINA), his body swayed slightly as he kept with the rhythm. Tim knew that if he could see his face, his eyes would be closed and he would have that soft smile pulling at his lips.

Tim started when Jason’s smooth tenor quickly filled the spaces left by the notes. He didn’t sing often, but when he did, it was absolutely captivating and took his breath away.

“It’s quarter to three…there’s no one in the place, except you and me…”

Everyone who hadn’t already been paying attention to Jason, quickly latched onto his current performance. There was deep longing in his voice.

Tim hung back by the counter where Roy and Kori were working, letting the music wash over him. His earlier urgency had fallen away and it was replaced by a certain calm and peacefulness that only came from listening to Jason play the piano.

Jason added bits of treble flair to the melody here and there. As he hit the chorus again he glanced over his shoulder and shot a wink at Tim. Tim bit his lip, but didn’t look away as Jason turned back to the keys.

The feeling of the song changed, becoming far more intense. A sort of desperation lying under the surface of the words. It only lasted for a moment before returning to its original feeling.

“Make it one for my baby…and one more…for the long…long…road…”

Jason let his voice fade as he played the last of the main accompaniment. But of course he couldn’t help adding a bit of flair and running his fingers up the scale one last time.

The notes faded into the air and the customers broke into applause. Tim joined in easily. Jason stood from the piano and gave everyone a lop-sided grin as he crossed the length of the coffee shop.

“So,” Jason said, leaning up against the counter next to Tim with his arms crossed. “Can I get one for my baby or…?” he asked, gesturing towards the menu.

Tim blushed and cleared his throat. “Maybe later, but right now I have something that I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure. What is it?”

Tim grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him to the back of the shop and through the door to the backroom where the offices and supplies were stored.

“Okay, so…” Tim said, feeling his excitement from earlier come back. “I ran into Mr. Stewart this afternoon on my way to my theory class and we talked about last night. He wants to perform the piece again and he’s looking for another duet partner for me.”

Jason grinned and pulled Tim into his arms, spinning him around. “That’s amazing, Tim! I can’t believe you’re going to get another chance to play it!”

Tim laughed. “I know and I’m really excited. But that’s not all. He asked me if there was anyone who I might like to play with and I asked if you could be brought in. You’d have to audition and everything, but-“

“Wait, wait, wait. You asked if I could come and play this duet with you? At the conservatory?” Jason asked, interrupting him.

“I-yes?” he said, confused. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“I’m not a student at the conservatory. I can’t just play during one of their concerts. Plus, you know that I don’t play classical.”

“I asked if it would be a problem and Mr. Stewart said if you pass the audition and it’s okay with the faculty, you’ll be able to play at the concert. I know that you’re not a fan of classical, but you’ve heard this piece and you know how fun it is. Even if you don’t play anything else, I think you’d enjoy this.”

“I can’t, Tim.”

Tim stared at him, his hopes dying. “But I thought that we could play together in front of a larger audience. I thought you loved performing.”

“I do, but-“

“But what? Do you not want to play with me?” Tim asked.

“No, Tim that’s-“

“Then what is it? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

They stared at each other. Tim felt bad for putting Jason in such a rough spot and he opened his mouth to apologize.

“Tim...I…” Jason trailed off and sighed. “I just don’t want to take away the opportunity from someone else.”

“But if there’s no one else and you’re the best pianist the faculty are going to understand. They want to have the best concert possible and I know we can do it.”

Jason sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. I’ll audition. But don’t be mad if they pick someone else over me.”

Tim grinned and pulled the audition excerpt out of his backpack. “They’re not going to. If you want to work on that together, you can-“

“No,” Jason said, cutting him off and snatching the paper from his hands. “If we’re going to treat this like any other audition, I’d like to work on this myself. When’s the audition anyway?”

“Next week on Tuesday. Auditions are in the afternoon.”

Jason nodded and rolled up the already wrinkled paper. “Okay. I’ll get working on this. We can meet and practice for the Dueling Pianos tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Tim watched as Jason turned and walked back through the door, head bowed. As excited as he’d been to convince Jason to go and audition, it didn’t seem like much of a victory. Instead, something sour balled up in his stomach and he felt uncomfortable with the way their conversation had gone. He tried to push the feeling away, but was unsuccessful.

When he stepped back out into the main area, Jason was nowhere to be seen and it felt like Roy and Kori were giving him disapproving looks. He ducked his head and slipped out the door, turning back towards his apartment. Maybe a little practicing would help improve his mood, because coffee certainly wasn’t going to.

~~

Jason sat down at the electric keyboard that he’d set up in front of his couch in his apartment. It wasn’t the most impressive thing, but he couldn’t exactly afford a grand piano and he had the upright at Treble to work with when he wasn’t at home and wanted something a little more solid.

The audition piece was staring at him and judging him. It was everything that he wasn’t and he probably wasn’t worthy of playing the piece anyway, but Tim wanted him to audition and he really didn’t want to disappoint him. Not after everything that had happened the night before and the pain he’d been feeling. If it would help Tim get back on track then that was all that mattered.

Being out of place among the elite of the music world would be his own problem. The faculty and Mr. Stewart wouldn’t take him seriously and he wouldn’t be given the spot. There wasn’t anything he’d be able to do to change their minds but it might help Tim realize that he didn’t belong in the world of classical music. Jazz was his game and there wasn’t anything that was going to pull him away from it.

Jason took a deep breath and placed his hands over the keys. He cringed before playing the first chord progressions, knowing that there was no way this wouldn’t end up blowing up in his face.

He [played](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X_FFF63Um0) chord after chord, following the patterns of the music. It was slow at first as he became familiar with the themes and the changes as the music transitioned, but it started to feel like second-nature. The piano was an extension of himself and the music was the blood that kept them both alive and moving.

As beautiful as the piece was becoming as he put the excerpt together, the music did nothing to warm the spaces inside of Jason’s soul. He felt cold and detached. This wasn’t him. And he didn’t know how he was going to force himself into this box even if it was for Tim.

He’d given up any dreams or hopes of being classically trained long ago. He wasn’t cut out for it. The best he could ever hope to be would be a street or café pianist. Known to the locals and a spectacle for the tourists, but nothing more than a small blip in the world of music and social media.

~~

Jason sat on the couch in his darkened apartment. He’d practiced the audition piece for hours until his fingers couldn’t handle the complex rhythms anymore and they stumbled over each other and the keys. A lukewarm bowl of ramen sat in his lap. He’d eaten half of it, but couldn’t bring himself to finish it. Not when his mind was filled with thoughts of [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xNLN0QV5A) and auditions and Tim and everything else.

Wisps of possible futures played themselves out in his mind. He wondered if he would’ve met Tim at the conservatory. He wondered if he would’ve gotten along with Tim or if they would be rivals, each vying for the top position. He wondered if he would’ve become like Jake where the pressure of performing and being perfect wreaked havoc on his psyche to the point where he couldn’t stomach being in front of an audience.

He wondered if he would have everything that he had now. If he would’ve developed such a strong love of Jazz. If he would’ve been such good friends with Roy and Kori.

Or maybe he would’ve still gotten all of that. Maybe the only difference would be that he was in the conservatory instead of working small jobs to pay for college and making a living where he could while playing the music that he loved for free. Maybe he could’ve had both lives.

Jason groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

“There’s no point thinking about this stuff,” he sighed.

He let his head fall back and looked at the ceiling, eyes settling on the light that he hadn’t bothered turning on. He closed his eyes and let out another breath. He’d already told Tim he was going to do the audition so it didn’t matter how he was feeling. What would be or could’ve been if something had gone differently meant nothing.

He would prepare for the audition and when he didn’t get the duet it would prove to himself and Tim that he wasn’t cut out for the world of classical music, no matter how much he wanted him to be. Jazz had become his life and there was nothing that would be able to change that.

Accepting his new resolution, Jason lifted a spoonful of ramen to his mouth and choked at how cold it was, letting it fall back into the bowl. He made a face and finally left his spot on the couch so he could reheat his food and maybe actually enjoy his meal.

~~

Tim was already grinning when he opened the door to let Jason in for their Saturday night session. Jason was still dealing with the lingering feelings from the night before, but he was determined to not let them get in the way of his work with Tim. This was supposed to be fun. This is what he liked to do. The rest of the world wasn’t going to matter as they worked together. He was going to make sure of it.

Jason pulled Tim into a kiss before he sat down on one of the open piano benches. Tim took the other. He looked far too excited for it to be because of their session. He knew that Tim was thinking of his audition that was coming on Tuesday, but he wasn’t going to talk about it. It would be left alone for the night.

“So, what do you want to work on first?” Tim asked.

“Well, I was thinking that I could finally give you what you want and we can play Serenade for Two during our next performance.”

“Yes!” Tim cheered, throwing his hands in the air.

Jason chuckled at his excitement, finally loosening up after a day of doing nothing but worrying about playing and practicing. He stared down at the white keys in front of him and brushed his fingers over them, feeling self-conscious about what his next request was going to be.

“I was also thinking we could keep with that theme…”

“Yeah?” Tim asked.

“You’re going to think this is a total cliché…”

“Just tell me,” he said, grinning.

“I want to play Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis.”

Tim stared at him. “You want to-what?”

Jason sighed and placed his hands on the keys. He [started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZLt46-9GL4) slow with the chord progressions, adding the jazz flair that he always loved. He hadn’t planned on singing the words, but things always seemed to happen unexpectedly when he’s around Tim.

He saw Tim staring at him out of the corner of his eyes, but that wasn’t about to deter him. He’d done plenty of crazy things in his lifetime, so why stop now? He liked the piece well enough and it was an easier way of expressing his feelings instead of actually saying them.

He was transported back to the first time he’d met Tim. How he was so angry and irritated that he was playing classical music on his piano. And how everything blossomed from there. How they both were too stubborn to give up the piano. Jason wanted to maintain the jazz mood that he’d worked so hard to establish since the coffee shop had first open. And Tim was just having some fun outside of his classes and the other responsibilities that he had.

It reminded Jason of what he’d been thinking about the night before. About the chance meetings and what if something in his life had gone different. Maybe he would still be where he is and things would only be a little different. Or maybe he wouldn’t have anything he had in that moment. He might’ve lost his relationship with Tim and his friendships with Roy and Kori.

But he had those things. And it felt more important than ever to share that with Tim. To keep things slow and help him feel what he was feeling. That what they had was more important than anything else. Jason didn’t care what would come out of the audition. He just wanted to stay by Tim.

He wanted to keep playing music and learn about all of Tim’s weird quirks and fascinations with movie and anime music. He wanted to buy him coffee, as unhealthy as an obsession as it was and watch him follow his dreams.

He could only hope that he would be able to fit somewhere in it all.

Jason let the last chords die and looked up to find Tim staring at him with tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Wha-Tim!” he said, knocking his bench over in his haste to stand up. “What’s wrong? Was it really that bad that it made you cry?” He hurried around the other piano and took Tim’s face in his hands, brushing the tears from his cheeks.

“Damn it, Jason. How can I say no to that?” he said, chuckling. Jason froze, but didn’t step away.

“So I can play it?”

“I can’t promise that my eyes will stay dry,” he said, wiping away the tears that Jason missed. “But I don’t think anyone else will be able to keep from crying if you sing it like that.”

“I mean it you know.”

“What?” Tim asked, confused.

“Everything in that song. Everything behind it. Everything that has to do with you.”

Tim stood from his bench and wound his arms around Jason’s shoulders slowly. He held his gaze for a moment before pulling Jason down to him so their lips could meet. Jason pulled Tim against him as they shared a kiss. He poured every last bit of feeling that had gone into the song into that moment.

He didn’t know what the future held yet or what his life could’ve been, but he was more than happy with where it was in that moment and he didn’t want anything to change. What came out of the audition was what was going to happen. He knew that he kept telling himself that. But when he had someone like Tim in his life, he couldn’t do anything but accept it.

The audition wouldn’t change their relationship. Or he liked to believe that it wouldn’t.

“Okay,” Tim said. “If you get to play that, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“I want to play You Only Live Once from Yuri on Ice.”

Jason stared at him. “You want to play something else from Yuri on Ice?”

“You bet.”

Jason groaned. “I can’t believe I love you.”

“Yeah well you do, so deal with it.”

“Fine, but I get to pick the music for our Halloween performance.”

“I’ll think about it,” Tim conceded, pulling Jason back towards him for another kiss.

“I mean it, Tim. I want to choose the music for the Halloween performance.”

“Okay, okay. We’ll see.”

“No, Tim-mph.”

His protest was cut off by Tim’s lips, but he really couldn’t find it in himself to care all that much.

~~

Tuesday came much too soon for Jason’s taste. He would’ve liked a lot more time to live in a world of denial where he didn’t have to face a group of musicians and faculty from the conservatory as they judged everything about him from a short minute-long excerpt.

He’d spent the night before working hard to pick out something to wear that would be suitable for such an audience. Since he was short of a tuxedo and bowtie, he went with his nicest button-down, keeping the sleeves rolled down, and the nicest pair of black pants that he owned. They weren’t exactly dress pants, but they weren’t jeans so he counted that as a win.

He’d called Tim up in a panic asking him if he was going to be booted out for not looking a certain way, but Tim had put most of his worries at rest. He’d even offered to loan Jason a tie if he really felt like he needed one. He did.

“Calm down, Jason,” Tim admonished, tightening a perfect Windsor around his neck.

“I’m sorry, but I’m nervous,” he said, fidgeting under Tim’s hands.

“They’re not going to kick you out. You’re going to do great.”

“Jason Todd?” A man who Jason recognized as the conductor from Tim’s concert poked his head out of the door that led to the stage in the small auditorium.

“That’s me,” he said, walking over to him.

“We’re ready for you now,” he said, holding the door for him.

Jason turned to give one last look to Tim.

“I’ll be in the audience if you need me,” he said, giving him one last reassuring smile.

Jason let out a heavy breath and walked through the door. He was left in the wing as the conductor slipped down the stairs to presumably join the rest of the faculty. A lone grand piano was sitting on the stage, waiting to be played. He took one last breath and stepped into the light, ready to face his judgement.

He took his seat on the bench and placed his hands on the keys. He was almost glad he hadn’t brought sheet music. With the amount he’d played the piece, he’d gotten it memorized and trying to follow along with the black notes would’ve stressed him out too much. He closed his eyes and let the music rise up inside of him, taking off like a horse after being released from the gate.

His hands moved on their own and the minute-long excerpt was finished in the blink of an eye. He stared down at the white keys, lifting his hands from them.

“Thank you, Jason,” Mr. Stewart said. “We appreciate having you audition, it was excellent.”

Jason nodded and made a hasty exit to the safety of the hallway. All of his nerves that had gone unnoticed while he was playing rammed into him and he needed the escape. He belatedly realized he probably should’ve thanked them for the opportunity, but the feeling of the faculty’s eyes on him was unsettling. He couldn’t bear to stay in that room any longer.

Tim was out in the hallway seconds after he was. “That was incredible. You really practiced!” he said, excited.

Jason stared down at his hands.

“Is everything okay?” Tim asked, worried by his silence.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” he whispered.

The door behind them opened and Jason turned to find Mr. Steward standing there with the members of the faculty who’d attended his audition.

“As odd as this situation is,” Mr. Stewart began. “We would like to offer you the other position in the duet. Your performance was impeccable and your skill and comfort in front of an audience is exceptional. Congratulations, Jason.”

Jason could feel the excitement radiating off Tim behind him while he couldn’t do anything more than nod. Mr. Stewart turned to address the remaining members of the faculty, but one of them approached Jason and he was horrified that he recognized who it was.

“Well, it was quite a shock to me to hear that you intended to come and audition as an outside resource. After you deferred your spot in the conservatory all those years ago, I was sure that I wouldn’t see heads or tails of you again. If this concert is successful, you might want to think about applying for a spot in the conservatory again and actually attending this time. Your skill could be refined greatly under the faculty tutelage we have to offer.”

Jason nodded and did his best to ignore the smug grin on the dean’s face when he turned to return to conversation with his colleagues. Jason turned his back on them and kept his head down, ignoring Tim’s questioning gaze. He made for the front of the school, needing to free himself from the suffocating confines of the building. He couldn’t breathe. All of his worries suddenly came back to him. The possibilities and questions about what his life could’ve been converged on each other, intent on robbing him of all rational thinking until there was nothing left.

“Jason? Jason!” Tim exclaimed, fighting to keep up with his long strides.

Jason pushed through the double doors and felt a small sense of relief in the sunshine that engulfed him and spread warmth over his skin.

“Jason wait,” Tim said, grabbing onto his sleeve. He stopped in his tracks, still struggling to breathe, but the pressure had been relieved enough that he didn’t think he was going to suffocate. “Jason why didn’t you tell me that you got into the conservatory?”

“Not here,” Jason forced out. “I can’t talk about this here.” He was too close. Too close to what could’ve been. He had to get away. He couldn’t take the weight that was pressing down on him.

Tim nodded. “Come on,” he said, tugging him in the direction of his apartment. “We can go to my place. I’ve got food if you’re hungry. Or I’ve got plenty of things to drink if that’s what you want instead.”

Jason nodded dumbly and allowed Tim to pull him along down the sidewalk.

Every step felt like a monumental effort for Jason. He thought his feet were dragging along the concrete but when he looked down, he was walking normally. Car horns blared and it sounded like people were yelling. Tim squeezed his hand and tried to hurry him up the steps to his apartment, but he couldn’t force his body to move any faster.

He practically stumbled through Tim’s front door and was more than grateful when he finally got to sag into the couch. He closed his eyes and let out all of his breath, knowing that if he was given a few moments of peace, he could fall asleep from exhaustion. His body felt like it was going to sink into the couch and disappear. If it had, he wouldn’t have objected.

“Okay,” Tim said, climbing up next to him. “Do you want to tell me what that was about?” he asked.

Jason forced his eyelids opened and turned to face Tim. He was watching him carefully and Jason could see the thousands of questions buzzing behind his eyes, but he was being patient and letting Jason take his time with this.

“A long time ago…” he started and huffed a breath as the memories started to resurface. They’d been plaguing him since he got the audition excerpt, but now he was going to actually have to talk about them. “A long time ago, I auditioned for the conservatory. I wanted to become a professional pianist and saw that as my way to get there so I could play all the time. I passed the application process and was brought in to audition. I passed the audition and got a full scholarship to study music.”

He heard Tim suck in a breath.

“But then my mom got sick. Since I had the scholarship, school was paid for so we didn’t have to worry about that, but my mom was too sick to work. We didn’t have enough money to pay for the continual treatments so I passed on the conservatory and got a job. We did fine. The money I made and the savings helped keep us afloat for the most part. We had to use food stamps for a while, but that meant more money could go towards the bills.

“And then she died. There was barely anything left in savings. I moved out of the apartment and found something cheaper. I started working two jobs to pay for everything and built up my savings for a while. I met Roy and Kori. Then they decided to open up Treble Espresso and I took charge of the piano. Since then, I gave up on my dreams of being a professional pianist. I knew that I’d never be able to take the classical route so I turned to jazz instead.”

The silence was deafening when he stopped speaking. He peeked at Tim out of the corner of his eye and saw that he was staring at him.

“Jason…”

He looked up at him and saw his own pain reflected back in Tim’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” he breathed.

Jason shrugged. “It’s what happened. I can’t change it.”

“Is that why you didn’t want to audition?”

“Pretty much. I thought that part of my life was over and I didn’t want to go back to it. I experienced a lot of pain and I didn’t think there was any reason for the same thing to happen again.”

“Would you study at the conservatory this time if you had the chance?”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I was hoping none of the faculty were going to remember me, but they did. I can’t really imagine uprooting my life again to study music?”

“But it wouldn’t be much of an uproot, right?” Tim prodded.

Jason stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you already play music and we perform every couple of weeks. You actively practice and want to get better even if you’re just trying to have fun. It’s not like you’re picking up and moving to a whole other state. I know plenty of students who work and study at the same time. And if you got a full scholarship again, you wouldn’t have to worry about tuition. I’m just afraid that you’re more than willing to throw away your dreams because you want to believe that they’re going to fail no matter what instead of having that hope that you can actually make it.”

“But what if I can’t make it?” Jason whispered.

Tim shrugged and moved closer to him. “That’s always the question, isn’t it? You’re going to face that in whatever you do so isn’t it best to go after what you really want and risk failure with the hopes you will succeed?”

Jason turned to face Tim and cupped the side of his cheek. Tim turned his face into has palm and planted a gentle kiss.

“The same could be said of our relationship. There was a chance that we would’ve gone on hating each other and this never would’ve happened. The Dueling Pianos would’ve never happened. But it did and we’re here. Dwelling on the past or what might’ve happened if this one thing is different isn’t going to change anything. What’s important is where you’re going from here.”

“So where should I go?” Jason asked.

Tim smiled and leaned in to give him a proper kiss. “You should go where your heart tells you. Maybe it’s going to be to play the duet. Maybe it’s not. Maybe you’ll audition for the conservatory again and maybe you won’t. You’re going to have to decide for yourself and follow the path that will lead to your greatest happiness.”

Jason sighed. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“You challenged me to a musical dual in the middle of a coffee shop,” he said with a laugh.

Jason huffed a breath and Tim smiled. “Damn right I did.”

“But…” he continued. “I ask myself the same question every day.”

Jason returned his smile and wrapped an arm around Tim’s waist. He pulled him up against him and lost himself in another kiss. If this was what he got every day then he could handle the uncertainties that came with life.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are loved and appreciated!
> 
> Tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter: twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m


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